


Leading A Horse To A Horse

by Cyriae



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alchemy Students Are The Worst, Canon Compliant, Gen, Horses, Humor, Young Riza and Roy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:54:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22748152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cyriae/pseuds/Cyriae
Summary: Riza gives her father's new alchemy student a taste of country living.
Relationships: Riza Hawkeye & Roy Mustang
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	Leading A Horse To A Horse

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this as a birthday gift for a friend, thought other people might like it as well.

Riza frowned into her tea. Yes, she’d freely admit she’d been lonely, living alone with her father and his research, but why did the answer to her prayers have to be a _city boy?_ The smarmy idiot probably didn’t know a tractor from a horse’s ass. Didn’t stop her father agreeing to teach the boy; maybe alchemy needed fewer brains than she thought. Maybe it was a good thing she’d restrained herself from punching his lights out when he tried to kiss her hand on their first meeting, he probably couldn’t afford to lose any more brain cells.

“Good morning, Miss Riza! How are you doing on this day nearly as fine as yourself?”

Her face twisted in an involuntary grimace. Speak of the devil. Or his idiot son, more like. Was there no end to his flirtatious advances?

She smoothed her expression into something more neutral before turning to face him. “I am doing well, thank you. How are your studies treating you?” Maybe he would get tired of them and leave her house forever.

“Reasonably well! Your father is a strict but fair teacher.”

Riza shifted uncomfortably.

“I could use a break though, what is there to do for fun around here? Anything entertaining in the quaint little town over yonder?” He stared at her with his dumb stupid vapid oily idiot smile.

She kept her face a pleasant mask. ‘Quaint,’ ha, of course a city boy would think a rural agrarian center ‘quaint.’

“Well, you could go watch the cows. Or count the ears of corn.” 

“Oh you are very funny, Miss Riza. Anything else you’d like to suggest?” 

“You could go for a horse ride, at Farmer Finnagen’s down the road.”

“Huh, never ridden a horse before, maybe I’ll give that a try.”

“Really, never? I would have expected you to be an experienced horseman, by your name.” She gave him a sidelong glance.

“Ahaha, yes, I see, because my name is Mustang, like a horse, very clever Miss Riza, very clever. It does sound like a splendid diversion though. Care to join me?” He gave an elaborate bow and offered his hand.

Join him? On his first attempt at wrangling a thousand pound animal? Now _that_ she’d like to see.

“Why not? You’ll need someone to introduce you to Finnagen, anyway.”

~~~

Riza unhooked some tack from the wall of the stables, reserving the dirtiest supplies for her _guest._ “What do you say to a loop around the town? It’s a little long for a first ride, so if you want to do something shorter that’s fine.”

Roy was leaning against the stable wall, watching her with an infuriating smirk. “I think I’ll be alright, I’m sure this can’t be _that_ difficult.”

_That’s what I’d thought you’d say._ “Suit yourself.”

If he wanted to spend the next week unable to sit down, who was Riza to stop him?

“Saddle up!” She tossed him a saddle and reins, and to his credit he only staggered a little bit when he caught them. “You can take Big Jake-“ she indicated a large roan plow horse in the stall over “-he needs a firm hand, but I’m sure you’re more than capable.”

He shuffled over to stand in front of the towering horse, clearly having a few misgivings. But backing out now would, of course, be too much for his pride, and so he fumbled awkwardly with the door, muttering “Nice horsie,” under his breath as he stepped into the stall.

Riza kept an eye on him; there hadn’t been a good show in town in ages, so she was very much looking forward to this one. 

~~~

The following morning Riza smoothed down her hair and selected her outfit, wondering what condition she’d find her father’s apprentice. He’d done an admirable job keeping silent as he waddled back from the farm to her house; maybe the gods of sleep had been kind to him. Or not.

Coming down the stairs, she was greeted to a most peculiar sight in her living room; Roy was laid out on his stomach on the couch, reading a textbook propped up on a table next to the couch’s arm with his neck craned back a bit.

Her outwardly stoic expression masked the pure _glee_ she felt at the sight.

“Why Roy, surely that can’t be a comfortable position? It would be easier to read if you sat on your-“

“I knOw,” his voice cracked as he turned his head to face her. “I know, Miss Riza,” he whispered, his dark eyes pools of agony and regret.

She gave the barest hint of a smirk. “Well if you need another study break today, I’ll be returning to the farm if you’d like to join me-“

She was interrupted by Roy’s involuntary whimper.

“Is that so? Next time, then,” she said demurely, nodding her goodbye as a single tear rolled down his cheek.

She went to go make herself some breakfast, a grin now fully spread across her face. Maybe having a city boy around wouldn’t be so bad.


End file.
